Round 3: SWEPT AWAY (Oct. 11, 2002): But no! Ritchie, using the unfair advantage of having Madonna for a wife, releases an unbelievably horrible remake of a terrific Wertmuller film, and blows away the competition.

Round 4: THE VILLAGE (July 30, 2004): Is it a twist ending if you figure it out in five minutes?
Meanwhile Ritchie doesn't have a movie released in the US for five long years and must forfeit this round.

Round 4: THE VILLAGE (July 30, 2004): Is it a twist ending if you...

Round 4: THE VILLAGE (July 30, 2004): Is it a twist ending if you... Photo-4714641.63635 - SFGate

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Shyamalan wins Round 4!

Shyamalan wins Round 4!

Shyamalan wins Round 4! Photo-4714642.63635 - SFGate

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Round 5: LADY IN THE WATER (July 21, 2006): Another mess from Shyamalan, but not one without ideas. He gets extra credit for taking a co-starring role as man of destiny.

Round 5: REVOLVER
(Dec. 14, 2007): But no, Ritchie has this one. This movie, held back from American release for two years, finally hits theaters, and it exemplifies Ritchie's mature style: Incoherent, belabored, and hamfisted. He has come into his own.

Round 6: THE HAPPENING (June 13, 2008): People for no reason start committing suicide, in yet another Shyamalan film in which people must go into hiding. It seems like he might have chance of winning this round.

Round 7: THE LAST AIRBENDER (July 1, 2010): Ritchie left an opening and Shyamalan ran with it, coming up with the hand-down worst film of 2010, the first in a trilogy that was so bad . . . they cancelled the trilogy.

Round 8: SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS (Dec 16, 2011) Ritchie, demonstrating that he has not lost his touch, wreaks havoc on Sherlock Holmes in this second installment, by making Robert Downey, Jr. look like a bad actor and by using slow motion at random and for no reason.

The winner of Round 8? Actually, I can't say Shyamalan wins Round 8. Nothing, really, can top Ritchie at the depth of his form. However, give Shyamalan credit. He is making rapid strides, and he's waiting in the wings for the next time Ritchie drops his guard.